1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flexible power supply, and in particular relates to a hydrogen supply device and a fuel cell thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern portable electronic products have lots of functions and suffer short power supplies/rechargers. Moreover, with varied outfit designs, modern portable electronic products require flexible, easy-shaping, and friendly-design power supplies/rechargers to fit their outfits.
The operating time of a portable power supply/recharger can be extended by using proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEM-FC). However, the portable power supply/recharger made by PEM-FC suffers another drawback. The drawback is that the portable power supply/recharger is easily deformed/damaged due to external forces. The external forces come from all the applied forces during operating, even when a person carry it on moving. Thus, a rigid support is required in conventional portable power supply/recharger to prevent the deformation/damage from external forces. Nevertheless, the rigid support cost the penalty of much over weight and volume of the portable power supply/recharger. Therefore, a flexible and easy-shaping power supply/recharger was invented to reduce the weight, the volume, and the risk of the deformation/damage from the conventional one.
If without rigid support, two of the most easily-deformed/damaged portions of the portable power supply/recharger are: (i) the assembly portion between the proton exchange membrane and the end plates in a PEM-FC. If the assembly portion is deformed/damaged, it will lead to dramatically increase the inner electrical resistance and therefore lower output power. (ii) the connection portion between fuel tank and fuel cell as well as fuel tank itself. If the connection portion or tank is deformed/damaged, it will lead the leakage of hydrogen and as a possible result of a fire.
Accordingly, flexible materials have been applied to portable power supplys/rechargers. Examples of elements of portable power supplys/rechargers made by PEM-FC that may be manufactured by flexible materials include the end plate, polar plate, air diffusion layer, catalyst layer, and proton exchange membrane element. General fuel sources of portable power supplys/rechargers are methanol and hydrogen. Whatever the fuel type, the fuel tank should be rigid other than flexible to promise the fuel will not leak out due to external force. Especially when the hydrogen is directly adopted as fuel, the container for compressed hydrogen storage is heavily rigid and bulky. Additionally, the portable power supply/recharger is not entirely flexible.
In Taiwan Patent No. I255579, a portable fuel cell with high power value per volume/weight is provided. The fuel cell has a flexible or closed-ring electrolyte membrane and a plurality of separated reaction elements in series connection disposed on the electrolyte membrane. The electrolyte membrane is applied as proton exchange and a conductor of ions. Each of the reaction elements comprises flexible internal and external reaction bilks disposed on inner and outer sides of the electrolyte membrane, respectively. The internal reaction bulk receives hydrogen from the fuel supply element to process an electrochemical reaction, and the external reaction bulk receives oxygen from the surroundings to process an electrochemical reaction to produce a high voltage for output to electronic products. The described fuel cell utilizes a flexible or closed-ring electrolyte membrane. However, the fuel supply of the fuel cell is methanol, and is not a flexible hydrogen supply element. It is obvious that the cell still needs a rigid fuel tank, and difficult to solve the problems come from the external force.
Accordingly, a flexible power supply/recharger is called for application in portable electronic products.